Feed-water regulator for steam-boilers.



H. W. SPENCER.

' FEED WATER REGULATOR FOR STEAM BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 1915.

1,150,399. Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F/G/ L J a Cy COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0,,WASIHNGTON, n.c.

H.'W. SPENCER.

FEED WATER REGULATOR FOR STEAM BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5. 1915.

1,150,399. Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I v l o COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, 1:. c.

able device for governing the supply of feed- HENRY winn r srnivonn, or Lennon, ENGLAND.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

Application filed'Januray 5, 1915. Serial No. 685.

To all whom it may concern .1

Be it known that I, HENRY WILMOT SP onn, oflt? Queen Victoria street, in the city of London, England, have-invented; certain new and useful Improvements in FeedWVater Regulators for Steam-Boilers, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to apparatus for automatically controlling the supply of feedwater to a steam generator, or similar receptacle, of the type wherein the boiler water and steam act alternately on a chamber containing a vaporizable liquid the pressure from which istransmitted to a chamber where it operates a diaphragm or other suitwater.

ln such devices as heretofore constructed it has been usual to provide an expansion or vacuum chamber in communication with the chamber containing the vaporizab le liquid and to provide means for accelerating or retarding the vaporizationofthe liquid In feed-water regulating apparatus of the general type to which this invention relates or close quickly in accordance-with the needs of the boiler the pressure, generated in the regulator must 7 therefore 7 always work through the same range and with the same i rapidity irrespectively of 1) the boiler pressure or,

(2) the atmospheric conditions under which the apparatus is working.

These two variable conditions seriously af-' fect the working of the apparatus. In the first place the temperature of the steam under the heat transferring partition forming the bottom of the vaporizable liquid chamber may be that of steam at lbs. pres:

sure or that'of steam at 250 lbs. pressure;

and secondly the rate of heat loss from the outer surface'of the apparatus varies directly as the difference in temperature betweenthat of the-liquid inside the vessel and the surrounding atinosphere which latter may in one case be 40 F. and in another casel20 F. The first mentioned of these variable conditions has been met by. providing an adjustable extension piece in-the" liquid chamber above the heattransferringpartition by means of which the depthfof the 7 layer of liquid on the partition can be varied to suit the temperature of thesteam which will enter beneath. To meet the secondly mentioned variable condition it has been proposed to restrict or control the return flow of the liquid to the partition to replace that driven off by ebuflglition and evaporation, butth'e means hitherto adopted for effecting this restriction or control have not been either convenient or suiiicien-tly satisfactory. Continued experiments on the general lines above indicated have led to the-dis covery that an eXPansion or vacuum chamber which has hitherto been considered essential is not necessary for the satisfactory working of apparatus ofthis kind, and that better results can be obtained without it.

' According to the present invention a continuous conduit or circulating coil is'iixed to the upper part ;of theliquijd chamber and is arranged in such a manner thatboth ends ar mor le d tly ove the ea t n f g pa t t n n h rar r ab iq id 7 liquid chamber. A much greater cooling or radiating surface is provided, by this arrangement than by an expansion chamber and by means of the adinstjablescrew valve the rate ,ofheatloss can be QQ I Densated for with great facility. a 1

My invention is illustrated in the accompajnying drawings wherein it i Figure 1 is a partly sectional elevation of the apparatus; and Fig; 2 is an elevation shnwing it applied to a steam boiler,

The same parts are lettered to correspond in both figures of the drawings. In these drawings A represents the boiler, B and B. are, respectively, steam and water connections from the boiler to the space C under the heat transferring partition C of thevaporizable liquid chamber C; v

D is the stem of'the regulatorwhich is secured in the upper end of the liquid chamber C and is externally threaded at its lower end (Z being provided with ascrew ferrule d which is adjusted nearer to or farther away from the partition C of the liquid chamber .0 as desired. Through the stem D is a central passage D opening communication between the interior of the chamber Qand a cavity D? in th'eupper part of said stem. Two other passages D and D open into the cavity D the former being of equal bore conical valve F screwing through a threaded aperture in the outer part of the stem.

G is a cap to protect the screw valve F from dirt and dust.

The constricted passage D opens into a full bore passage in a branch D connected to the eXpansible chamber of the diaphragm valve H, into which branch leads another full bore passage 1) into which the outlet end of the circulating coil is secured. The

' ture D by means of the conical screw valve F, consequently it is possible to control the rate of the circulation of the liquid through the apparatus by the adjustment of the valve F so as to cause the pressure to work uniformly over the desired range irrespectively of the rate of heat loss. It should be borne in mind that the range of. pressure through which an apparatus of this kind works is required to he usually much lower than the boiler pressure. 7

The operation of the apparatus is as fol lows :On heat being suppliedbeneath the heat transferring partition C the tempera: ture of the liquid on its upper surface is raised and ebullition causes some of the'liquid to be driven up into the continuous conduit E and this displaces an amount of liquid therethrough which passes back to the partition past the restricting screw valve F. I In this way a'circulation is set up which quickly raises the temperature; of the liquid throughout the continuous conduit, following this steam is generated on the parti tion and collects in the uper part of the liquid chamber around the outside'ofthe ad: justable extension piece cl. If" theliquid returns to the partition c at too low a tem perature it retards the generation of pressure and if it returns too hot it'accelerates the generation of pressure. Both ofthese effects are serious as they prevent the proper opening and closing of the feed valve. It is however quite'easy so to adjust the re; stricting screw valve F that the rate of the return flow to the partition will be just that necessary to maintain the liquid at a suit-- able temperature in the continuous conduit and to cause the pressure to rise and fall.

uniformly and with the required speed to operate the feed valve H. Should the heat loss from the surface of the continuous conduit'be great owing to theapparatus being fixed in a comparatively cold place, the return flow would be increased by screwing the valve F back out of the constricted way D} so that a rapid circulation is allowed throughout the system and in this way the temperature of the liquid could be maintained at that necessary for the working pressure of the apparatus. On the other hand if the apparatus were fixed in a hot ,place so that the heat lost by radiation would besmall, then a considerable restrlction of the return flow would be necessary and thiswould be found to prevent the temperature of the liquid rising too high and the same working pressure could be maintained,

The provisionof a continuous conduit and the fillingaperture at the upper part therer nation with the boiler of a chamber for conl taining volatile liquid, a heat transferring partition forming the bottom of said chamher, a'second chamber underneath of said partition, means for connecting said second chamber with the water and steam spaces a of the boiler, a continuous conduit both ends of which are in open communication with the upper part of said chamber, adjustable means for regulating the depth of the layer of liquid in the liquidchamber and adjustable means for regulating the rate of return 7 flow oflthe'li'quid from the continuous conduit to the said chamber and an adjustable feed water valve connected to said conduit,

substantially as described. o l r j j 2. In afeed-water regulator, the combination with the boiler of a chamber for containing volatile liquid, alheat transferring partition forming the bottom of said chamber, a second chamber underneath of said partition, means for connecting, said second chamber with the water and steam spaces of the boiler, astem secured in the upper part of said chamber and having a passage therethrough, an adjustable extension piece on the lower part of said stem, a continuous conduit with both ends connected to said stem and adjustable means for regulating the rate of return flow of the liquid from the continuous conduit to the said chamber and an adjustable feed water valve connected to said conduit, substantially as described.

3. In a feed-waterregul'ator, the combination with the'boiler of a chamber' for containing volatile liquid, a heat transferring partition forming the-bottom of saidvch'amher, a second chamber underneath of said partition, means for "connecting said second chamber with the water and steam spaces of the boiler, a stem secured in the upper part of said chamber and having'a passage the're through, an adjustable extension piece on the lower part of saidstem, a continuous conduit with its outlet limb connected, to

'saidstem and its return limb connected with a branch pipe, a constricted outlet to said branch pipe opening into the stem passageway, and a conical valve screwing through the stem to seat on said constricted outlet and an adjustable feed water valve connected to said conduit, substantially as described.

4. In a feed-water regulator, the combina tion with theboiler of a chamber for containing volatile liquid, a heat transferring partition forming the bottom of said chamber, a second chamber underneath ofsaid' partition, meansfor connecting said second chamber with the water and steam spaces of ,the lower part of said stem, a continuous conduit with its outlet limb connected to said stem and its return limb connected with a branch pipe opening into the stem passageway, a conical valve screwing through the stem to seat on said constricted outlet, and a filling aperture in the upper part of said conduit and an adjustable feed water valve connected to said conduit, substantially as described.

HENRY WILMOT SPENCER. Witnesses:

O. J. WLRTH, H. D. JAMEsoN.

Gopies of this patent mav be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

